Wishlist | Topshop Make Up

I really love the range of make up in Topshop and I only own a couple of things from there at the moment. I was recently looking on the website at what other make up they have and found so many lovely things that I would love to try out, so I thought I would create a wishlist post!

These are the items from the Topshop range that I'd like to try out the most:

Nails in Moonshine - 
I love this metallic rose gold colour and think it would look lovely on the nails.

Nails in Peaches and Cream - 
I don't own any nail polishes in this kind of colour and think it would make a perfect nail colour for the Summer.

Nails in Valley -
I love pastel nail colours and this one would be so lovely for Spring and Summer.

Eye Crayon in Marble - 
I really like the idea of an eye shadow crayon and love the neutral pale pink colour of this one!

Lips in Innocent -
I'm always drawn to pink shades of lipstick and this one is just the perfect colour as it's not too bright but would add a  little more colour to the lips than a nude one would.

Lips in Ohh La La - 
I don't have any coral coloured lipsticks and really want to try one out. I love the colour of this one, and again think it would be something perfect for Summer.

Highlighter in Sunbeam -
 I have heard so many great things about this highlighter and I love how the name 'Sunbeam' kinda matches the name of my blog.. so I'm taking that as a sign that I need to try it out haha!

Magic Liner in Engraved - 
I love felt tip style liners as I find them so easy to apply and I've heard this one is a brilliant one too so I'd love to try this out.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of the Topshop make up range?

Emily x

My Top 5 | Most Worn Perfumes

Today I have a Top 5 post for you! This one is going to be my most worn perfumes edition.

Note: I have not put them in any particular order, I am just going to show you the five perfumes from my collection that I tend to wear the most. Here they are:

Ghost - Deep Night

I really love this perfume. I love all Ghost perfumes but found I liked this one best at the time of purchasing so this was the one I chose! It has a lovely, kind of fruity scent that I find perfect for everyday wear!

Marc Jacobs - Lola

This perfume has a lovely floral scent that's not too overpowering.I have the Limited Edition Velvet version of this perfume, so the lid of the bottle is velvet. You can't get this exact one anymore but you can still get the same scent in a similar bottle with a plastic lid. 

I love the extravagant design of the bottle, it really stands out from my other perfumes and I would say this is the one out of my Top 5 that has the longest lasting power too.

Ralph Lauren - Ralph

I really love the musky, fresh scent this perfume has and it is again a perfect perfume for everyday wear. The only downside is that I only have a small 30ml bottle of this so I have to try not to use it too much because I hate my perfumes running out!

Ed Hardy Love & Luck - Christian Audigier 

This is probably my least favourite of the five but still one I wear quite a lot. It has an unusual scent, it is fairly musky and fruity and I would say it is quite a refreshing scent. I do think the bottle is very interesting though, it has a geisha tattoo inspired design and is another one that really stands out in my collection.

DKNY Red Delicious

This perfume definitely lives up to it's name 'Delicious'. It has the loveliest fruity scent which would be amazing in the summer. I've actually decided I don't wear this one enough whilst planning this post so I definitely will be wearing it even more now! The scent also lasts a long time on the skin!

What's your favourite perfume?

Emily x

Make Up Haul | Boots, Superdrug & TK Maxx

Today I have got a little haul of a few make up items I have brought over the last week or so to show you. I'm just going to show you what I got in this post, but if you would like to see a more in depth review of any of these products then let me know and I will be happy to do so!

Revlon ColorStay Foundation - I got this in the Normal/Dry skin version. I've heard this is a really good foundation which I haven't tried before so I can't wait to try it out myself and see if I agree! This sells for £12.49 in Boots.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - It is common knowledge that this powder is just great, this is a repurchase, I have used it before and have no bad words to say about it! I also got this from Boots for an amazing £3.99.

MUA Underdressed Palette - This is a well known dupe for the original Naked Palette by Urban Decay which I've really been wanting to try out! I brought it about a week ago now and have used it a few times, must say I am loving it so far. £4 from Superdrug.

Collection Extreme Felt Tip Liner - I also got this about a week ago and have used it everyday since - definitely loving this so far, and I got it for only £2.99  in Boots!

The last two items in this haul I picked up in TK Maxx. I brought a set for £4.99 which included the Jemma Kidd I-Glamour Volume Mascara and the Jemma Kidd Ultimate Lipstick Duo in the colour 'Sophia'. 

I am yet to try these out but I thought this was a great find. They also had quite a lot of other sets with different Jemma Kidd products, so if you would like to try some out then be sure to check your local TK Maxx as they may be stocking them too! 

Jemma Kidd lipstick duo in 'Sophia'

Have you brought any good make up recently? 

 Also don't forget to leave me suggestions for blog post ideas, or vote on the poll at the side of my blog. I'm just running this poll for a short time to gather information about what type of posts people would like to see!

Emily x

Outfit of The Day | Tea Dress & New Boots!

Dress: Pussycat London (Debenhams)

Leather Jacket: H&M

Chelsea Boots: Dorothy Perkins

Belt: New Look

The last OOTD that I posted seemed to go down very well. It was probably the most popular of my posts and I had a lot of positive response so thankyou! Because of this, when I was out with my friend the other day, she took some photo's of my outfit so I could share one of these with you again.

I wore this little orangey coloured tea dress which reminds me very much of the Autumn/Fall season. That probably is the season when I tend to wear this dress the most, I think mainly due to the colour.. but I think it can still work all year round!

For this look, I paired it with my black leather jacket from H&M and my new suede Chelsea Boots which I brought recently. I love my new boots and haven't stopped wearing them recently!

Also just to let you all know, I've added a little poll to the side of my blog to help me gather information about what kind of posts you would like to see. Please vote if you have a preference as to what you like to see and feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments, thankyou :)

Emily x

My Skincare Regime | Simple

Today I thought I would share my current skincare regime with you all. Well I say current, it's actually been pretty much exactly the same for longer than I remember - must be at least 3 or 4 years!

My skincare regime involves all Simple 'Kind To Skin' products. 

In the mornings, I wash my face with the 'Refreshing Facial Wash Gel', then use the 'Soothing Facial Toner' and 'Hydrating Light Moisturiser' before applying my makeup. This makes my face feel refreshed and primed nicely for makeup application.

The next stage of skincare in the day is in the evening. I currently just use the 'Cleansing Facial Wipes' to remove my makeup, it does a fairly good job of it but I know there are several make up removers that both Simple and other brands do, so I'm considering giving those a go sometime. 

I then repeat the same routine as in the morning, by washing, toning and moisturising my face using the products I mentioned.

The one other addition to my Skincare regime is the 'Smoothing Facial Scrub' from this range. I use this once a week, usually in the evening after I have removed my makeup and before I have washed my face with the 'Facial Wash Gel'. This just helps to exfoliate and is recommended to be used once a week on normal to dry skin, and twice a week on oily skin.

I must admit, I have never really experimented much with skincare as I've always got on so well with the Simple products. I think whether you get on with these products or not all depends on your skin type, but personally I really like how these products work on my skin. They are gentle on the skin, which is great for me as I find some other products can make my skin sting and can irritate it. 

I would say this range of skincare may not be the best for oily or spot-prone skin as maybe they are too gentle, I've heard a friend mention before that they are not harsh enough for helping to get rid of spots, but for sensitive and dry skin, I would definitely recommend them!

What products do you use for your skincare regime?

Emily x

Monochrome | My Top Picks!

1    2    3    4    5    6    7

As I'm sure many of you know, one of the main trends for Spring Summer 2013 is monochrome. I really like this trend and have found some great black and white pieces that are in shops now and would be great for this summer, so I thought I would share them!

1. This is a pinafore playsuit, I really like the idea of this and think it could be styled really nicely in various ways. I also love the spotted pattern!

2. I have always loved lace clothing and this cropped lace top would look great for a summer day with a pair of high waisted shorts or dressed up in other ways for an evening.

3. The really love the photographic floral pattern of this dress and I know the midi length is on trend at the moment too. Although I'm not sure it would suit me, it would look lovely on many others I'm sure!

4. I just thought this purse had a really pretty pattern, if only they had a bag with the same pattern so it could be used more as part of the outfit!

5. Aztec print is one of my favourite trends, so I love this top! It would also be one that would look great with shorts for a summer day.

6. I thought these shorts were really unusual but in a good way! The alphabet pattern is quite unique and looks great on this pair of high waisted shorts, which again would just be perfect for the summer!

7. My final choice is this skirt, which again has an aztec style print to it which I love. It looks like a versatile piece which can be styled to wear in both the summer days and evenings!

What do you think of my choices? Will you be wearing monochrome this summer?

Emily x

100 FOLLOWERS!

Today I found out that I have hit 100 followers! 

I know some bloggers have thousands and thousands and this would seem like nothing to them, but this is my first major milestone, and it feels great to know that this many people enjoy what I post, and enjoy enough to want to read more.

 I just wanted to saying a huge thankyou to every one of the people that follow my blog, comment on any of my posts or even just read it! I haven't been blogging for very long at all, and am completely overwhelmed with the response. I didn't expect to ever really get this many followers, let alone in the short time I did. 

Every comment and follow just motivates me to want to post more, so hopefully I will continue to post and people will continue to enjoy it!

Also, please feel free to leave me any requests or ideas for posts I can do, I'm struggling to think of enough at the moment, and it would be great to know that what I'm posting is what you want to see.

Thank you again, it means a lot ! :)

Emily x

Winter Most Worn Tag!

Hello everyone!

For today's post I thought I would take part in the Winter edition of the 'Most Worn' tag, in which I will answer the set questions about the things I have worn the most this winter! Here goes..

1. Most worn nail polish?

Barry M Watermelon

I have raved so much about this Gelly Hi-Shine range of nail polishes from Barry M, so I'm not going to go into it anymore, but this colour 'Watermelon' from the range is probably my most worn nail polish this winter! It is a lovely colour and very affordable!

2. Most worn hair products?

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Very Volume Hairspray 

 L'Oreal Studio Matt & Messy Salt Spray

These are two hair products that I am loving using and I use pretty much everyday on my hair. This hairspray helps to add a little more volume to my hair, and the salt spray helps to give it a nice matt and messy effect!

3. Most worn bag?

This is my most worn bag which some of you may recognize from a haul post of mine when I brought it. I got it from Dorothy Perkins fairly recently but have been using it everyday since and love it!

4. Most worn shoes?

 I love little ankle boots like these for Winter and have ones like these in a few colours. This pair from Primark are probably my most worn shoes this winter, the beige colour goes with almost everything so I have got a lot of wear out of them - as you can tell by the state of them!

5. Most worn accessories?

Probably my most worn accessory this winter has been this gold statement leaf necklace from Accessorize. I love it and it goes with almost everything to spice up any outfit.

6. Most worn clothing item?

I have two choices for my most worn clothing item. Obviously everyone needs a coat for winter, and my choice of winter coat has been this Parka from Dorothy Perkins. It is so warm and I love it. I also featured it in a recent OOTD post which if you haven't already, you can see by clicking here.

The other item of clothing I've been wearing a lot this winter is this cardigan from Next. It is so cosy and I've been wearing it with quite a lot of different outfits.

7. Most worn foundation?

Vichy Dermablend Foundation

My most worn foundation this winter has most probably been the Vichy Dermablend foundation. This is usually my go to everyday foundation and was the subject of one of the first blog posts I did.. you can see that review here.

8. Most worn blush or bronzer?

Topshop Cream Blush 

My most worn blush has been Topshop cream blush in 'Head Over Heels'. I love the colour of this and how it is a cream blush, but goes a little more powdery on the skin making it easy to blend. It is an all round great product.

9. Most worn lip product?

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick

As it is winter, my lips do tend to get very dry, so an obvious most worn lip product would be my aloe vera Vaseline tin, but that's a little boring so I didn't add it in. The product I have chosen however, is Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in 'Hollywood Red'. I have had this quite a while but just rediscovered it and I love the colour so have been wearing it a lot recently!

10. Most worn mascara?

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

Again, this is a product I have already reviewed so I won't go into too much detail, but this is the mascara I have been loving and wearing the most recently. Please feel free to read the full review to find out more about it, here.

What products and items of clothing have you been wearing the most recently?

Emily x

Benefit 'Finding Mr Bright' Kit

So the other day I was browsing the benefit counter as there are a few of their products I want to try out, and I ended up buying this kit. It is called 'Finding Mr Bright' and is a kit made up of some of their best highlighting make up. It includes several of the products I had wanted to try, so I figured why not try the sample sizes in this kit first. 

left to right: Girl Meets Pearl, Posie Tint, High Beam, Erase Paste.

The Girl Meets Pearl product is described as 'a golden pink liquid pearl for the face', and can be used as either a primer or to put on top of other make up to add an extra glow to the skin. I think it would also make a great highlighter as it has very similar pink tones to the High Beam. It leaves a lovely glow and I am enjoying using it!

I'm not so sure about Posie Tint. It is a good lip stain but not the best on the cheeks, its a little too runny and doesn't apply to the cheeks well. It is a lovely colour on the lips and I will continue to use it as a lip stain, but I don't love it enough to purchase the full size.

I had particularly wanted to try the High Beam highlighter, I've heard alot of great things about this and it certainly lived up to them! It is a perfect highlighter which leaves such a lovely glow. I would definitely consider buying this in the full size.

The Erase Paste is a great concealer, i found it is especially good for concealing under the eyes. The kit comes with the medium shade which if anything is a little dark for my skin, but other than that I have no complaints!

All in all I think purchasing this was a good move. It comes in at £28.50 which still seems rather expensive considering how small the samples are, but when you compare it with the prices of the full size products, it isn't bad at all! It was great to sample the products first so now I can make a better decision on which I enjoyed enough to purchase in the full size.

I will definitely be sampling some of their other makeup kits! Have you tried any out?

Emily x

Topshop Lip Crayon in Arcade

Believe it or not, I actually didn't own any Topshop make up at all up until recently, so I went along to Topshop the other day and picked some up! 

Amongst the things I brought was this Lip Crayon in the colour 'Arcade'. It is a purpley toned colour, which is rather darker than I would usually go for, but I thought I would be brave and try it out! 

As you can tell from the pictures below, it does look rather dark in the swatch. It also came out very dark on the lips. It was too dark for my liking, but after blotting the lips a little it became more of a wearable colour for me which I actually really like!

(sorry about the terrible quality, I took them once it was dark so the lighting was awful. I will update with better pictures soon)

                                   

I'm not very familiar with the idea of a Lip Crayon. I know a lot of people have said they find them easy to apply as they are just like a thick pencil, but at first I actually found it rather difficult to apply compared to a normal lipstick. I found the formula of it to be a little sticky too. I'm not sure whether this is what they are all like or if mine had melted a little though.. did any of you find that when using this kind of product? Either way, I did find it a little difficult to master at first and although I have got the hang of it now, I still find it more difficult to apply than a normal lipstick and find it that little bit messier. Maybe that's just me though!

On the plus side, it is very pigmented and is a great product for lasting a long time on the lips. I also didn't have the problem with it drying my lips out like I often do with lipstick. 

With the price tag at £7, I would say it's fairly affordable as I'm sure I will get a lot of wear out of it. Also, I think it will last a good while as it is like a pencil, so you can keep sharpening it as you use it up!

Have any of you tried these lip crayons? Do you prefer to use these or lipstick?

Emily x

Outfit of The Day | Winter Forest Walk

Coat: Dorothy Perkins

Top: Urban Outfitters

Skirt: Primark

Shoes: New Look

I have done several posts now on this blog and I have realised I haven't done barely any fashion related posts, so today I went out for a winter walk through the forest with my friend and she took some pictures of my outfit. This is what I wore!

I am wearing a top I got from Urban Outfitters about a year ago now and still love. I want to describe the pattern on this top as geometric lines? I'm really not sure if that's what it's called but that's what comes to mind.

I teamed it with my plain black skater style skirt and black tights to match with the black lines in the top. I also used a brown belt to seperate the top and the skirt. For footwear I just wore my simple black wedge shoe-boots to blend in with the black tights so nothing exciting there! 

But obviously I do live in England which is not the warmest of places.. So to keep the outfit that bit more practical for the cold weather I also wore my Parka coat which I love. This is my go-to winter coat at the moment, I wear it so much. I love the fluffy hood and how it can be worn in different ways. You will see here that I have chosen to wear it undone with the waist cinched in, so you can still see the outfit but it keeps you warm and is still a flattering shape to wear.

  Note: Credit to my friend Rosie who took the photo's for the great photography! She also has a beauty and fashion youtube channel which she used to do alot and through telling her about my blogging I have now inspired her to get back into regularly uploading. So make sure you check that out by clicking here. I believe she is uploading her OOTD from today on there also so keep an eye out for that!

Hopefully I will be doing a few more fashion related posts now, so do let me know if that's what you'd like to see.

Emily x

Todays Bargain Buys!

Today I went shopping to get some birthday presents and I think I did very well not to buy myself much but I picked up a couple of things that I could not resist!

Firstly, I was planning on trying out some new body wash and body scrub kind of things and intended to pick up some Body Shop bits, but I popped to Superdrug first and found this appropriately named "I love..." range.

I picked up two Shower Smoothies in the strawberries & milkshake and raspberry & blackberry scents. These smell lovely and look like a great body wash and body scrub in one that can be used in the shower.

The range also included the scents Coconut & Cream and Mango & Papaya, and many different products including body butters, shower gels, lip balms and hand creams, all of which I will probably want to try sometime after giving these a go! I have the lip balm in raspberry & blackberry and love that just as much. 

I thought these were a complete bargain, usually costing £2.05 each, which is a bargain on it's own.. but at the moment they are currently 2 for £2.99 which is even better! Very happy with these purchases, an amazing cheap alternative to Body Shop or Soap and Glory shower products, can't wait to try more from the range! 

The other product I brought today that I was very happy with is Barry M's "Prickly Pear" nail colour from the Gelly Hi-Shine range.

 If any of you have read my January Favourites post you will know how much I love this new range from Barry M, and you will have also seen me mention that I had the colours "Watermelon" and "Blueberry" and was also after this colour to add to my collection, so I just had to have it when I saw it today! 

I love the pastel lilac colour of this so much and I just think it would be a perfect colour for Spring.

This was also a great bargain at only £3.99. I personally think Barry M are brilliant for nail polishes and a much cheaper alternative to brands like OPI or Essie, so if you're looking for a cheaper brand of nail polish with the same great results, definitely check out Barry M!

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them?

Emily x

The Liebster Award!

So I have been nominated for the Liebster Award!

I have seen a lot of these posts around and have now been fortunate enough to be nominated myself by Krystel Ice, so I am very grateful and thankyou to her!

For those of you who don't already know, The Liebster Award is for bloggers with less than 200 followers to share facts and information about themselves. A blogger will nominate other bloggers that they think deserve the recognition for their blog.

This is a great way for people to find out more about a blogger and get to see new blogs!

The Liebster Award Rules:

The nominee must link back to the blogger who nominated them.

The nominee must state 11 facts about themselves, and then answer the 11 question provided for them by the person who nominated them. They will then nominate bloggers with less than 200 followers who they think deserve the recognition and pose 11 questions for them to answer. They must then drop by all the blogs of the bloggers they have nominated and let them know they have been nominated.

11 Facts About Myself:

1. I have two Golden Retrievers called Fudge and Mojo.

2. The one place in the world I really want to visit is New York.

3. The teddy bear I got the day I was born still sleeps in my bed with me every night. I named him Teddy. How original.

4. Whenever I'm in the house, I'm in a onesie - they're so cosy!

5. I am actually very self-concious.

6. When I was 6, I lived in Gibraltar for a year.

7. I can't stand seeing a plug switched on when there's nothing plugged in - that annoys me for than anything!

8. I have small feet. I'm a size 3 but I tried on a pair of size 3 shoes the other day and they were too big!

9. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do in life which is slightly worrying!

10. Christmas is my favourite time of year without a doubt!

11. My biggest fear in life is ending up alone and never being able to have a family of my own.

The 11 Questions I Was Given:

1. What is your desert island essential?

Well a desert island would be a pretty boring place so I'm gonna say my iPhone because it would keep me the most entertained - I could read blogs on it, watch videos on it, play games etc..

2. Flats or Heels?

I wear heels occasionally if I'm dressing up for a party or going out but generally I would say I prefer to wear flats.

3. Favourite Beauty Brand?

My favourite brand I have ever used is probably Benefit or MAC but unfortunately I don't have the money to always use them :(

4. Coffee or Tea?

Neither! I don't like any hot drinks.

5. Describe your fashion style?

I wouldn't say I have a particular style. I just buy clothes I like and put outfits together out of them. So I would just some up my style as "Normal" or "Ordinary". Bit of a rubbish answer sorry!

6. Why did you start blogging?

I wanted to get experience in writing and I also wanted a hobby and something I could dedicate myself to doing. I wasn't sure if I would stick to it or be any good at it, but now I'm gaining a little bit of a following its giving me to motivation to want to continue, so I'm very thankful for that!

7. What is your favourite food?

That's a tricky one. I'd say pasta meals or risotto's are probably my favourite in terms of meals. Just for little snacks I love sweets!

8. Fashion or Beauty?

Very difficult one! I study fashion, and before blogging I probably would have said fashion but I'm gaining a lot more interest in beauty since blogging, and starting to feel like I'd rather spend my money on make up than clothes at the moment..but saying that I love buying clothes too. I really don't know.. can I say both?

9. Describe your personality in 4 words?

silly, loving, fun and shy (around new people).

10. What pet would you have and why?

Well I have two dogs and I love them alot! I'm definitely a dog person and prefer big dogs.. my dream dog to own would be a St. Bernard. But if I was to say a completely different pet to what I have I'd love a bunny!

11. What's your favourite thing to indulge on?

I have to say Pick n Mix sweets, they're the best!

The bloggers I have nominated are: 

Kirstie-Louise
Sophie-Teresa

behind-clothes-doors
whyisitalwaysannie
youremyfavouriteflavour
carriebrighton

My questions to my nominees:

1. If you could only use one item of make up for the rest of your life what would you choose?

2. What is your favourite season of the year?

3. Why did you start blogging?

4. What is your favourite high street shop?

5. What is your favourite make up brand?

6. Cats or dogs?

7. What are your wardrobe staples?

8. What is your dream job?

9. What is your favourite nail polish?

10. If you could only eat one food what would you choose?

11. What are your goals in life?



Thanks again to Jenny over at Krystel Ice for the nomination, I enjoyed doing this and hopefully my nominees will do the same!

Emily x